Controller for electric circuits



(No Model.)

- W. J. PAINE.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS. No. 333,389.

Patented Nov. 27, 1888.

N. PLTERS. Phnlwulhogmpher. \Vashinghm, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT XVALTER J.

PAINE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC ClRCUlTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,389, dated November 27, 1888.

Serial No. 252,907. (X0 model.)

T0 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER J. PAINTS, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Controllers for Electric Circuits, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to circuit-controllers for electric circuits, and is an improvement upon the invention shown and described in United States Patent No. 342,519, dated May 25, 1886.

In the patent referred to a single or primary circuit containing, as therein shown, an electric light is controlled by the armature of a high and low resistance magnet. The highresistance magnet is in circuit with a normallyopen switch and the low -rcsistanee magnet with a normally-closed switch, the normallyopen switch being operated to complete the electric light circuit, which is maintained closed until broken by operating the normally closed switch. The single or primary circuit containing the working apparatus (shown as a lamp) is controlled and operated by the magnets therein shown from a distant or given point.

It is the object of this invention to control from a distant or given point two independent primary circuits, each containing, it may be, a working apparatus, the working apparatus in each circuit being controlled and operated independently of each other.

My invention, among other things, is particularly adapted to be used in connection with electric motors employed to operate elevators, wherein the said motor may be started in one direction to raise the elevator-car and then be stopped to bring the elevator-car to a position of rest, and thereafter started in the opposite direction to lower the said car, all fromthe car itself or from alanding orfloor of thebuilding in which the elevator is located.

The particular features in which my invention consists will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 shows a portion of a building provided with an elevator operated by an electric motor controlled and operated in accordance With my invention. Fig. 2 isa diagram illustrating my system as applied to electric lighting.

eferring to Fig. l, A represents the walls of an elevator shaft or well of a building or other structure. The shaft or well contains an elovator car or cage, a, suspended therein in usual manner by the rope a, wound upon a drum, a", mounted upon a shaft, a near the roof of the building.

The drum a is herein shown as rotated through a system of pulleys, a a and belts a a a, the belt a being passed about a pulley, b, on the armature-shaft of an electric motor, I), having its field magnets b" I) wound, as herein shown, in opposite directions to produce a reverse rotation of the armature b to thus raise or lower the car a, as desired, the said motor being of any well-known type now commonly usedsuch, for instance, as the Sprague or Daft motor.

The direct and reverse rotation of the armature I) of the electromotor is controlled in accordance with my invention by electro-magnetically-opcrating switches 6 1), each composed, as herein shown, of a high-resistance magnet, 12 and a low-resistance magnet, If, and its armature, substantiallyas in the Patent No. 342,519, referred to. The high-rcsistance magnets if of the switches If 6 are connected, respectively, by wires Z) b to the coils of the fieldmagnets 7) b. The wire Z1" has connected in circuit with it the spring-actuated armature b, forming part of the magnetic switch Zr, and the wire I), the armature b forming part of the switch I).

The high-resistance magnets of the switches If b are respectively connected by wires 0 c to one terminal of normally-open circuit controllers or switches 0* 0", herein shown as located upon each floor or landing B B of the building. The normally-open switches c 0 may be of any desired form, they being shown in Fig. 2 as ordinary puslrbuttons. The low resistance magnets If of the switches b b have their coils c 0* connected to their respective cores, as in the patent referred to, and the said coils, as shown, are joined to a single wire, 0 constituting the main or current-supplying wire, it being connected to terminals of normally-closed circuitcontrollcrs 0, located at each landing, the said wire a being shown as connected or formed into a loop, (Z (2, leading to the clevatorcar and embracing a normallyclosed circuit-controller, (1 The wire 0 forms the positive or current-supplying wire of a derived electric circuit completed, as will be described, by the wires 7) b and coils of the field-magnets Z) I), which may be joined together and connected by a single wire, 0 to the negative wire of the main circuit. The positive or current-supplying wire 0 may be connected with the wires 0 c by normally-open circuit closers c 0, respectively, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The wires 0 0 have joined to them, respectively, wires 11" d, leading to the elevator-car a, and therein connected to terminals of normally-open circuitcontrollers' rl" cZ.

Referring to Fig. 1. the elevator-car is shown as stopped at the first floor, Ii. If it is desired to ascend, the operator in the car closes the switch d, marked Up, closing the circuit of the high-resistance magnet I) of the switch 1), thereby causing the current to pass through the field coil b and rotating the armature in e the direction of arrow 20, the rotation of the armature imparting rotation to the pulleys a (0 and drum c in direction of arrows 21 through the belts c c c", thereby winding the rope to upon the drum and raising the elevatorcar;or the car may be raised by closing a switch, 0, on a landing. \Vhcn the switch (1 is closed, the circuit may be traced as follows: wires 0" (Z' to switch (1, thence by wires d c, magnet b of switch 12, wire b field-coil b and negative wire c \Vhen the circuit is closed at the switch r, the armature I) is attracted, and is broughtin contact with the core of thelow-resistance magnet I), thus closing the circuit of the magnet b and maintaining the circuit of the field-coil b" after the circuitof the magnet b hasbcen broken at the switch :1, the circuit being as follows: wires 0 42, switch d wires (1 c" o armature I), fieldcoil b and wire c. The elevator continues to rise until the normally-closed switch d on the car or a normally-closed switch,c ,on a landing is opened, which is done when the car has arrived at the desired fioor. If 110w it is desired to descend, the circuit of the high-resistance magnet b of the switch Z) and field-coil b" is closed at the switch d marked Down, thus causing the armature to revolve in the opposite directionthat is, in the direction of arrow 22and revolving the drum a in direction of arrow 24 through the belts and pulleys referred to, thereby unwinding the rope a and lowering the elevator-car. \Vhen the magnet I) of the switch If is energized, the armature b closes the circuit of the low-resistance magnet b of the said switch, thus maintaining the circuit of the field-coil b after theswiteh is opened.

The armature continues to revolve in the di rection of arrow 22 until the desired floor has been reached, when the circuit is broken at the switch d or a switch, o on a landing.

Referring to Fig. 2, I have shown my improved system as employed in connection with electric lighting, in which f represents a dynamo or currentgenerator, and ff two electric lights, which may be are or incandescent, and to save complication, and in order that the working of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 may be more readily understood, I will retain the same letters on the majority of partsas,

for instance, on the switches and magnets.

The coils of the low-resistance magnets I) are connected to the positive or current-supplying wire)" of the dynamof, and the coils of the high-resistance magnets b are connected to the wirc'sf"f", the latter wires being shown as joined together and connected to the negative wire f". The wiresf"f" contain the normally-open ciicuitcontrollers c c", by which the said wires may be connected to the positive or current-supplying wire, for a purpose to be described.

The wiresfif contain the lamps ff in circuit with the normally-open circuit-controllers 0 0 the magnets b being in circuit with the normally-closed circuit-controllers 0 The operation is similar to that of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. The wiresff represent independent circuits controlled by the switches b b, and hereinafter designated by me as circuits Nos. land 2. Ifit is desired to light the lamps in circuit No. 1, a switch, a, is closed, magnetizing the magnet b of switch b, the said circuit remaining closed until it is broken at a switch, 0. If desired to light circuit No. 2, a switch, 0 is closed, magnetizing the magnet b of switch b, which remains closed until broken at a switch, 0 It will thus be seen that either or both circuits may be lighted or extinguished from a given point.

I have herein described the magnets b If as high and low resistance; but I do not desire to limit myself to this class of magnets, as in some instances they may answer the purpose if made of equal strength and resistance. Furthermore, I do not desire to limit my system to the applications herein shown and described.

By the term clectromotor I desire it to be understood as embracing not only a motor such as shown, but any motor operated by electricity and capable of doing work-such, for instance, as a solenoid.

I claim 1. The combination, with two electric cir cuits consisting of a main or current-supplying wire provided with a normally-closed circuit-controller and two independent wires provided with normally-open circuit-controllers and adapted to be connected in circuit with the said positive wire through the said normally-open circuit-controllers, of magnetically-operated switches connected to the main and independent wires, substantially as described, the said switches being controlled by the said circuit-controllers, whereby either or both of the said circuits may be rendered operative and thereafter rendered inoperative from a given point, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with two electric cir- IIO cuits having a common feed or current-supplying wire, of an electromagnet in each circuit comprising two sets of coils and an armature for each magnet controlling the circuit of its magnet, an electric machine or motor connected in circuit with the said magnets, and three or more switches controlling the said circuits, substantially as described.

3. The combination,with a main or current supplying wire provided with a normallyclosed circuit-controller and two independent wires provided with normally-open circuitcontrollers and normally disconnected from the said currentsu pplyin g wire, the said wires constituting two independent circuits, of an electro-magnet in each circuit having two sets of coils, one of which is connected to the current-supplying wire and the other to one of the wires containing a normally-open circuitcontroller, and an armature for each magnet connected to a normallyopen circuit controlling wire, substantially as described.

4. The combinatiomwith a main or current supplying wire, of two independent wires forming, with the said main wire, two electric circuits, an electromotor having one set of coils in one of said circuits and another set of coils in the other of said circuits, magnetically-operated switches connected to the main and independent wires, substantially as described, open circuit-controller in each of said independent wires, and a normally-closed circuitcont-roller connected with the said main or current-supplying wire, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination, with two electric circuits consisting of a main or current-supplying wire and two independent wires, of an electromotor having one set of coils in one of said circuits and another set of coils in the other circuit and wound in a direction opposite to the coils in the first-mentioned circuit, inagnetically-operated switches connected to the main and independent wires, substantially as described, and three or more switches con trolling the said circuits and the operation of the said electromotor, substantially as described.

6. The combination,with an elevator, of an electromotor to operate it, the said motor having one of its field-coils wound in one direction and the other field coil in an opposite direction to produce reverse motions of the armature, a magnetically-operated switch in cir cuit with each field-coil. and three or more switches in circuit with the magnetically-operated switches to control the operation of the said motor, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this sp ecilication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVALTER J. PADTE.

\Vit-nesses:

J AS. H. Gnuaonrmz, F. L. EMERY. 

